House junks impeach bid vs Ombudsman Gutierrez

The House of Representatives on Tuesday night voted 172-15-1 in favor of the committee report junking the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez due to lack of substance. “The factual allegations are, at best, a rehash of the allegations for the impeachable offense of betrayal of public trust," a portion of the 31-page committee report read. Committee Report 2483, prepared by the House committee on justice under Quezon City Rep. Matias Defensor, ruled that while the complaint was “sufficient in form, (it) is not sufficient in substance." The complaint was filed by civil society groups and former Cabinet officials led by former Senate President Jovito Salonga. According to the report, the issues that were raised by Salonga and his fellow complainants were “mere conclusions of law, unsupported by ultimate facts, and derived only from surmises and conjectures." “A reading of the complaint will readily impress one that no pleadable ultimate facts were averred by the complainants. Evidently, the Salonga impeachment complaint is not sufficient in substance," the committee report said. The chamber tried to vote on the report last Wednesday but failed due to lack of quorum. The Defensor panel voted 37-5 last Sept. 29 to dismiss the impeachment complaint. Former Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas, who stood as counsel for Gutierrez, said the complaint was filed because the civil society did not like the decisions made by the Ombudsman on certain cases. Those who endorsed the impeachment complaint in the chamber were mostly progressive lawmakers. - GMANews.TV